The Inevitable Dawn
by CrowX
Summary: After tasting Elena's blood, Stefan is sent into a frenzy, which does please Damon a lot. Even though Stefan asked for help, will he like the way Damon will help him? And will the hunger- not only for blood, but also for his brother- be too strong? Slash!
1. Chapter 1

**Title: The Inevitable Dawn**

Part: 1 of 4 (Complete)  
Fandom: The Vampire Diaries  
Author: Ayumie and CrowX (LJ: Lady_Dragoncrow)  
Rating: NC 17  
Pairing: Damon/Stefan  
Summary: AU branching off after episode 1.17  
Warnings: Incest, slash obviously

Notes: Thanks to Lea724 for being an awesome and patient beta-reader. We had lots of fun with this - I hope everyone else will feel the same. The next parts are currently being edited.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

Part 1

The first things Damon noticed upon entering Stefan's room were the empty blood bags. Their trail led to a couch besides the fireplace and there was Stefan, looking totally different from the Saint Stefan Damon had grown used to in the past decades. A snarling vampire face with blood dripping from the mouth looked up to him, but those eyes conveyed a deep agony.

This wasn't the brother he knew – this was the newborn vampire wreaking havoc in the first years after their turning. Wild, careless, with little conscience (this was still Stefan after all) and a strong thirst for blood, more so than even Damon.

Physically at least Stefan seemed fine, with no lasting evidence of the terrible torture he had had to endure earlier that day. Damon cared about very few things, but one of them was the safety of his little brother. He had been worried and enraged when he couldn't cross the threshold of that house and just take his brother back. In the end he had done it but something had changed dramatically.

This had to be an accident, and Damon pitied Stefan. But then, this was the vampire he had tried to unveil for ages and why shouldn't he enjoy him while it lasted?

xoxoxoxoxxox

Stefan felt utterly torn. Physically he was stronger than he had been in ages, vibrant and energized in a way he had almost forgotten existed. But at the same time some small part of his mind remained aware of just what he was doing – and what he was ruining by doing this.  
The taste of Elena's blood had been enough to drive him crazy. Stefan had no idea how he had managed to keep up appearances while she was around but the moment the girl had left, he had torn into Damon's emergency stash. Stopping had been an impossibility. Now, after three blood bags, he felt almost dizzy.

It took him a moment to realize that he wasn't alone. Damon was looking down at him with a mixture of pity and elation. Stefan knew that he shouldn't let his brother see him like that but he couldn't find the will to pretend. It was still hard to believe that the brother who professed to hate him had risked his own life to save him. But then, hatred didn't even begin to describe their relationship.

Stefan swallowed and convulsively wiped his mouth.

"Damon, I ... Please, I ... Help me..."

xoxoxoxoxxox

His little brother's pleading was heart-wrenching in a way Damon had seldom felt before. As always it was only Stefan who could do that to him. He felt a rare wave of protectiveness rush through him and, without conscious thought, he went over to Stefan to take him in his arms.

"What have you done now, little brother?"

Damon wiped ineffectually at the blood around Stefan's mouth. Since it had already dried a little bit and wouldn't come off, he slowly leaned in to lick away all the evidence of this lapse of control.

Stefan didn't react much, all but catatonic in his arms. Damon grew more worried by the second. Had the torture done lasting damage after all? His arms tightened around the other vampire who was currently looking more like a frightened animal. Making shushing noises to calm him, he rocked slightly back and forth.

Only his little brother could make him act like that. But now he wanted answers. "What happened to you, Stefan? Tell me," Damon commanded.

xoxoxoxoxxox

Instinctively, Stefan pressed closer to Damon. For this one moment it seemed like his big brother had returned, the one who didn't hate him, but whom he could trust with anything.

"Elena – she made me drink her blood so I could kill Frederick. And now I can't stop. I can't stop..."

Damon smelled nice. Really nice. It was like his urges were in overdrive, making up for all the times Stefan had denied himself. He had been so good for such a long time, staying away from human blood, from his brother...

He licked at Damon's neck, telling himself that he hadn't done anything truly irredeemable yet: He hadn't killed anyone. He hadn't cheated on Elena. But he wanted to.

xoxoxoxoxxox

Stefan was really out of it but Damon understood now: it hadn't been the torture had changed his brother so significantly, but rather his first taste of human blood in almost 60 years. That time had been a disaster and the first step towards the collapse of their relationship.

However, there was an easy way to fix this. Stefan just had to get over the rush; he had to get used to drinking human blood again. Damon would even help him not to kill anybody. But he wouldn't help Stefan return to his abnormal diet.

Right now, though, his little brother was compliant, licking his neck, snuggling against him like a little kitten. It was too much to resist. Damon bent his head and, oh so slowly, they kissed for the first time in almost three decades. Stefan's lips were still as soft as they had used to be with an appealing metallic taste from the human blood. Growing more passionate, Damon explored that sweet mouth, their tongues sliding against each other.

xoxoxoxoxxox

For a moment Stefan felt almost at peace. Damon's arms were around him, shielding him, making it easier to believe that somehow things would be all right again. It was all he could do not to laugh at himself. Damon. So stupid.

When his brother kissed him, Stefan couldn't help but groan. This wasn't supposed to happen. But, God, it was good. Hunger taking over, he thrust his tongue into his brother's mouth.  
All too soon Stefan's traitorous body was arching into Damon's touch. It was as though giving into one temptation had opened a floodgate for the rest of them. Damon was doing this to him.

xoxoxoxoxxox

He was giving in – after all this time his little brother was finally ceasing to resist him. All but frenzied, Damon devoured his brother, hands groping at any inch of skin they could reach, body rubbing Stefan's. They touched each other feverishly, discarding their clothes in a hurry.

With vampire speed and strength Damon moved both of them onto Stefan's bed. They had never done it here before, since Stefan had always denied him this. And now here they were, nearly on top of each other.

Slowly but surely Damon was losing control. He never had been one to fight his urges, so he pressed his neck against Stefan's panting mouth, whispering in his ear.

"I've fed already; do you want to taste me? Do you even remember how?"

xoxoxoxoxxox

"Damn you..."

Fists clenching into the soft fabric of Damon's shirt, Stefan felt the change take him. He growled softly and dragged his teeth over the pale skin of his brother's throat. For a moment he thought that he might be able to resist, but the blood was so close, so tempting. Damon knew exactly how to drive him wild.

Stefan bit down harder than necessary, wanting it to hurt. Damon deserved everything he got. Although he felt almost sick already, he kept swallowing greedily.

xoxoxoxoxxox

Damon moaned out loud at the sudden pain, the violence of his brother's bite turning him on even more. The sucking mouth on his neck felt like heaven. Good for Stefan that Damon had fed earlier. Caressing his brother's hair he held him tightly to himself, feeling his arousal. After a while Damon pulled Stefan's head away.

Now that he was sure of Stefan's submission, he was happy to return to his old teasing self.

"I'm surprised, you still got it," he drawled.

xoxoxoxoxxox

Growling at the sudden loss of blood, Stefan's body thrashed, teeth snapping at thin air. For a moment it seemed like he might dislodge, his new-found strength almost enough to tip the scales. Then he was once more pressed down into the mattress.

Stefan gasped as his head hit the pillow, sending Elena's scent straight into his nostrils. He licked his lips, trying to get a last taste of the blood. Tomorrow he'd stop. Tomorrow he'd do a lot of things.

"I hate you."

xoxoxoxoxxox

"Aw, but you want me."

For once it was a challenge to control Stefan's movements. To stop Stefan's biting teeth, Damon pushed his forearm into his mouth. Then he grasped his brother's erection, his hand a warning hold as much as a caress. Stefan wouldn't back out now, of that Damon was sure. Slowly releasing his other hand he ripped off their remaining clothes.

There was no time or need for words now. A glance at his brother's face conveyed all his needs. He draped himself on his brother's tense body, touching him everywhere. Looking deeply into Stefan's eyes he kissed him slowly, needing it after the bloody foreplay.

xoxoxoxoxxox

When Damon's hand closed around his cock and all thoughts of resistance flew from Stefan's mind. His back arched and his legs spread a bit, instinctive reactions he didn't have the will to control. He moaned at the feeling of Damon's body on top of him, at those lips capturing his.

The kiss was almost gentle. Stefan sucked at Damon's tongue, ran his hands over that gorgeous body. Damon had always been beautiful. He dug his fingers into his brother's back, dragging him closer.

"Damon..."

xoxoxoxoxxox

The needy moan of his name told Damon everything he had to know. He spread his brother's legs, settling between them and teasingly rubbed their erections against each other. Not bothering with lube he put his fingers against Stefan's lips.

"Suck, little brother," he commanded. His brother complied and Damon groaned at the feeling of that tongue twirling around his fingers, coating them in saliva. After a while he decided that it was enough and pushed one finger into Stefan's ass. His brother was basically a virgin again, so tight and tense, it was almost funny. And the noises he made...

Chuckling he used another finger, scissoring them slightly. "Don't you worry, Stef, I'll make you feel so good. Though I wouldn't mind hearing you beg for it."

xoxoxoxoxxox

He obeyed, sucking greedily at Damon's fingers, tongue lapping at the pads and nails. Damon was rubbing their cocks together, pushing his legs apart to slowly circle his hole. When he pushed inside, Stefan keened. It had been years and years and although it hurt a bit, he couldn't help but lift his hips to aid the invasion. He would never admit it, of course, but he had missed this.

Stefan's dick twitched at those teasing words. Gritting his teeth, he ran his hand down his chest and stomach, knowing that it'd drive Damon crazy.

"I won't beg."

xoxoxoxoxxox

With Stefan it had always been the same. Even when he gave in, he would try to resist the whole time. But Damon had patience, acquired laboriously over the years apart. Seeing his brother touch himself made his erection throb, but he wouldn't give up the upper hand.  
He withdrew his fingers and just touched the tip of Stefan's cock very lightly. Oh so slowly he stroked up and down that hard length.

"Are you sure, Stef? Then you won't feel me and you know that your own hand won't be enough at this point."

His hands moved in circles on Stefan's hips. Bending forward Damon blew hot air on the weeping head of his brother's erection.

xoxoxoxoxxox

It was pure torture. All those light touches, Damon's mouth so close to his erection – it was true, he needed it. Even worse, as the blood was starting to work its miracles, Stefan found that he was having fun. He spread his legs a bit more, moaning unabashedly. This, all of this, was a game and Stefan knew exactly how to play it.

"And if I refuse you'll what? Walk away? Like you don't need it just as bad. Like you aren't dying to fuck me..."

Stefan couldn't keep his hips from jerking, though. The mere memory of those lips around his dick was almost enough to break him.

xoxoxoxoxxox

Ah, it seemed like Stefan was playing along now. Damon knew that Stefan wanted to drive him to the point where he'd do anything, if his wanton moans were any indication. He continued to leisurely touch his brother, willing away his own need. The reward would be so great - not only physically.

"You might be right, little brother, but don't forget, I'm not living forever in a 17-year old body. I learned patience even when I was still human. So do you really think you can resist me?"

For just a second he took the tip of Stefan's erection in his mouth, sucking lightly before abandoning it again. With one finger he once more circled that snug hole again.

"Opening up for me and moaning like a slut, you want it bad. But there's something I'd like to hear first…"

xoxoxoxoxxox

Before he had found out about Katherine, Stefan would have laughed at the suggestion of Damon having any patience at all. He snarled as his brother briefly bent down to lap at his cock. Stefan's body was demanding more of that, those fingers back inside of him, or better yet, Damon fucking him. Damned tease. But he had been fighting those needs for years and years...

"I'll think about it. But I need additional incentive. If I actually were to beg, what exactly would you do to me? Because it'd have to be really good. Can't have everything your own way..."

xoxoxoxoxxox

Damon's hearty laugh rang through the room. Oh, this was so perfect. Saint Stefan wanted to hear dirty talk. He lay down next to Stefan, not quite touching him as he whispered in his ear.

"If you beg me to touch you, I'll stroke every inch of your delicious skin, first with my hands, then with my tongue. I'll suck on your nipples until they are as hard as your cock, and then I'll move down slowly to circle your bellybutton. Do you remember how you used to shiver and groan when I did that?"

With a husky voice he continued: "And then, when you beg me to suck you, to get inside you, I'll taste you. Can you remember your taste when I kissed you afterwards? Slightly bitter, as you are. But won't it feel so good to have your big brother suck you, push a finger into that tight ass of yours. Almost like a virgin all over again. You'll make these needy little sounds. But before you get what you beg for, you'll have to suck me, too. Do you recall the way I taste? How you used to crave it? You'll swallow my dick like the little whore you are deep inside."

xoxoxoxoxxox

Stefan smiled even as his breath came in harsh pants. It was like he had suddenly stopped caring. Everything felt great and he was having fun and he wanted this. Brushing his lips over his brother's cheek, Stefan pitched his voice low and seductive.

"Please, Damon. Please touch me. Please suck me. Please fuck me."

He slowly licked his lips before pressing his face to Damon's throat. Stefan moaned a little at the smell.

"Do you think about it a lot? About us? I never stopped wanting you, no matter how hard I tried. God, Damon, you're my brother."

Stefan shivered as he said the words, pressed up against Damon.

xoxoxoxoxxox

Finally Stefan was giving in. Damon closed his eyes in delight at hearing his brother's pleas. His moans and his shivers felt so good. Damon knew it would be over quite soon. Ferociously Damon began to do exactly as he had promised, stroking and licking every inch of Stefan's skin and nipples and sucking his cock until he could share some of the precum with his brother.

"Yeah, Stefan, you're my brother, don't you forget. I've wanted to fuck you like that – since you were fourteen. What we do right now is a sin, but doesn't it feel wonderful? Having your older brother take care of you like this?"

Without further preamble he pushed inside his brother who'd spread his legs so invitingly. They were too far gone now and with just a few thrusts into that tight ass, Damon cried out when he finally let go. Wanting to see Stefan fall apart he reached down to stroke his cock while whispering: "Come now, little brother!"

xoxoxoxoxxox

Stefan cried out as he was penetrated by his brother. Damon's words were almost enough to push him over the edge right away.

Arching his back, he drove his hips up, meeting those rough thrusts, trying to take Damon deeper. It hurt a bit but mostly this was pure bliss. Stefan didn't have to hold back, could growl and claw at his brother's shoulders, urging him on.

And, like his dick was wired to Damon's voice, he came when he was told to, body tensing and spilling its seed over those teasing fingers.

When Damon pulled out, Stefan laid very still, half expecting the other vampire to get up and simply walk away. He tugged at the sheet to cover himself. As always, he was never quite sure what to do once it was over.

xoxoxoxoxxox

Still panting a little bit, Damon lay down beside his brother. He saw from the corner of his eye that Stefan was covering himself. Sitting up, he leaned over him, wanting to know what was going on in his mind.

His brother looked insecure, was obviously feeling awkward. Damon sighed silently. In their earlier days he would have just gotten up, but after everything Stefan had been through he couldn't quite bring himself to do that. A rare surge of protectiveness coming over him, Damon carefully hugged Stefan from behind, holding him secure against his chest. Since he heard no protest, he snuggled closer, getting comfortable for the night.

"Just sleep, little brother. Try not to have nightmares, okay?"

xoxoxoxoxxox

It was strange to be so close to Damon, without the promise of sex or violence. Now, wrapped in his brother's arms and scent, it was almost like being safe. Tomorrow he would be better, Stefan promised himself. He'd get up early and work out, get the blood out of his system. He would hunt an animal, a deer, maybe. And he wouldn't let anything like this happen again.  
Miraculously he slept well.

Getting up in the next morning was easier said than done, though. Damon was still hugging him and even in his sleep he resisted all of Stefan's attempts to break free.

xoxoxoxoxxox

Of course Damon was awake before Stefan could even move. He had watched his brother sleep like a baby in his arms and wondered at this feeling of rightness. This was what they were supposed to be like. Not wanting to let Stefan go that easily he pretended that he was just waking up and whispered in his ear.

"Good morning, Stef, slept well?"

He loosened his arms and carefully stroked his brother's cheek and hair, wondering why he still acted like that. But he knew why, because he wanted Stefan back for good. And if that meant to cater to his needs, so be it. Stefan needed this and so Damon decided to give him those tender caresses.

xoxoxoxoxxox

Feeling dazed and utterly bewildered by the surrealisms of the situation, Stefan found himself relaxing into his brother's touch. Damon was going to be so furious once he realized that Stefan had every intention of returning to his animal diet. Already he was hungry again. He'd have to start weaning his body off human blood soon. Briefly closing his eyes, Stefan fought the urge to feed.

These few minutes of peace were all he was going to get, and there was something he wanted to say while it lasted.

"I never thanked you for coming for me. It was ... I didn't think that you'd really let me die. Thank you."

xoxoxoxoxxox

Damon shook his head disapprovingly.

"What are brothers there for? Whatever I have done, nobody gets to mess with you except myself."

He realized that Stefan had to be hungry again, just hanging in there by a bare thread. Damon brought a hand up to his mouth and bit his wrist. Before his brother could put up a fight he place his bleeding wrist in front of Stefan's mouth, coating his lips with blood.

"Drink up, brother, you need it. When you're more in control we'll see if you can go off it again."

xoxoxoxoxxox

Oh God. Not this, not now – he had promised. Moaning softly, Stefan tried to push his brother's wrist away.

"Don't, Damon, please! I don't want this. I-"

But the taste was already in his mouth. Stefan grabbed Damon's hand, clinging to it as he sucked frantically. Trying to stop himself was useless. But this was the last time. The absolutely last time. Stefan was panting, face flushed and twisted as he finally tore himself away. His eyes were dark.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

xoxoxoxoxxox

Ah, this was great, Stefan sucking the blood out of Damon. He could feel the connection building between them, could feel Stefan's emotions. Stefan drank much before he stopped himself – a human would have passed out already. Damon felt his own thirst growing, knowing that he'd have to get some blood soon.

"Of course I am enjoying this. Taking care of you, fucking you, giving you blood." He pulled Stefan tightly against his own body. "Brothers should be close."

Kissing the exposed skin, he stroked Stefan's bare back. "I hope that you realize that you won't get away this time."

xoxoxoxoxxox

Stefan knew that he was in so much trouble. The biggest problem was that Damon seemed absolutely sincere, convinced of what he was saying. He had to set things straight. Now.

"You are not taking care of me. None of this is actually helping. You caught me at a moment of weakness and you took advantage. I want to be a good person. I don't want to drink human blood. But you don't care about that, do you? You just want some toy version of me to play with – a Stefan who feeds like you, who agrees with you, who is there to fuck whenever you feel like it. And when I don't fit into that picture, you try to punish me. I appreciate what you did for me, but we can't be together. If it wasn't for Elena I would have left weeks ago. And now I'm falling apart..."

Damon's hands had stilled on his body and for a moment Stefan found it hard to breathe. And just like that the peace was gone.

xoxoxoxoxxox

The anger in Damon was building up slowly but steadily as he heard his brother's words. Why was it always so difficult for them to understand each other? He sat up, facing his brother.

"Now you shut up and listen carefully! You were right about Katherine, ever since I found out that she wasn't in the tomb, you've been the only thing holding me here. I don't want a toy but an equal. You're my brother and I want you next to me, as strong as me, so that nobody can kidnap and torture you like yesterday. Of course I won't help you with going back to eating squirrels. But I'd help you control your thirst; I'd even keep you from killing anyone until you have it under control. That wouldn't make you a bad person at all."

He took a deep breath. "And I'd do the same, not killing anybody. With you at my side I'd make concessions, too. There is only one person I could spend eternity with, who understands me and sometimes accepts me, and that is you."

xoxoxoxoxxox

Suddenly Stefan felt very tired. He wished he could go back to sleep, just close his eyes and make it all go away. It used to be so easy: right and wrong, yes and no.

"Well, I won't drink human blood. I just ... can't. I'm not going anywhere either, so it looks like we'll keep each other company for a while. And if what you say is true, you'll accept my decision. And now I really need a shower."

And a drink. He really needed a drink. It was too early, though. Trying to ignore Damon's angry stare, Stefan retreated into the bathroom. He stepped into the shower even though the water was still cold. He had done the right thing.

xoxoxoxoxxox

Frustrated Damon got up as well, going to the other bathroom. With Stefan it was always two steps back for every step forward. He angrily showered in scalding hot water, trying to muster some patience. He was quite sure that Stefan's view of things was way too simple. For now he'd let it be, after all there were other things to consider. He had to deal with Pearl and Anna, and then there was a council meeting to attend. Socializing with the humans was quite important right now to keep them from suspecting anything and Damon thought that he could leave Stefan alone for the time being.

He took his usual clothes and, since there were no blood bags left, he went outside to look for an easy meal.

The next two days were difficult. After dealing with all those unpleasant things – especially learning about John Gilbert – he went back to the boarding house in the evening to get ready for the Founders' Day party. Stefan was already gone and Damon was grateful for these few moments of peace.

xoxoxoxoxxox

Stefan was going through hell. He spent most of his time working out, occupying his body so it would forget about what it was missing. Animal blood had never been less appealing and he couldn't force himself to drink more than a few sips. Sleep, on the other hand, eluded him. And it wasn't just the bloodlust he was fighting in the dark of the night...

The day of the party, Stefan had been drinking steadily since midmorning. He had to take the edge off his hunger – otherwise he would have succumbed. Of course, alcohol had its own pitfall but at least it made him feel better. In fact, as he walked up the stairs of city hall, he was feeling fucking amazing.

Damon was waiting for him at the entrance and he found himself smiling broadly, confidently. They hadn't really seen much of each other since their last ... incident. Tonight none of that mattered. Stefan wasn't about to let anything ruin his evening – not even the unsettling feeling that – as much for his own good as anything else – he shouldn't really be there.

xoxoxoxoxxox

Damon accompanied Stefan inside, greeting the various members of the Founders' Council. On the one hand he was delighted to see Stefan embracing his wild side – drunk Stefan was always fun – but on the other hand it could spiral out of control quickly. Of course there was always the possibility to just leave everything behind, but Damon didn't want to abandon their home.

"How are you feeling?" he asked smirking. "No cravings? So is all this drinking doing its job? We are who we are, Stefan. Denying it won't change it." As if to tempt him he flashed his neck at him. Stefan leaned in for a moment before he disappeared into the crowd.

"Don't embarrass me, young man," Damon shouted after him, grinning to himself as he went to mingle with the council members.

xoxoxoxoxxox

Stefan grinned and rolled his eyes at his brother's last remark, heading straight for the bar. But damn, Damon looked good in a suit. He smelled really nice, too. In fact, he smelled like Stefan's new aftershave.

Half an hour later, Stefan had had four more drinks. Elena was off somewhere, dancing with Matt and he found himself following Damon. Watching his brother disappear into the men's room, an idea started to form in his mind.

He went after Damon and, after making sure that they were alone, twisted the door  
handle until it was bent out of shape, effectively locking them in.

"So, Damon, about the other night ... I never got to taste you like you promised I would. And after all I'm such a whore for your cock..."

xoxoxoxoxxox

This party was turning out to be stressful. After overhearing the doubts Jeremy had voiced to the sheriff about the death of Vickie he dealt with it swiftly. He cornered Jeremy outside, took off his vervain bracelet, compelled him to accept the cover story, and put the bracelet back.

That done, he went to the bathroom to wash off the vervain. Damon was surprised when Stefan came in after him with a swagger, locking the door and tempting him with such dirty-talk.

"Well, well, well, look who's begging to suck me," he drawled, not at all opposed to the idea. "Let's see if you still got the skill, little brother." That said he leaned back against the sink, inviting Stefan with a nod to his crotch.

xoxoxoxoxxox

Smiling still, Stefan moved closer, briefly pressing against his brother to inhale his scent. Then he dropped to his knees and pulled Damon's trousers open and down. He took a moment to study his brother's cock like he hadn't seen it hundreds of times in the past before he slowly ran his tongue down the length of it.

Stefan had always loved sucking Damon – the taste, the smell of his arousal, the noises. And most of all the fact that for once he was in control, that he was the one causing his brother to lose all restraint.

Already the tip of Damon's cock was slick with precum and Stefan licked it, savoring the rough moan that earned him. Teasing Damon was such fun.

xoxoxoxoxxox

Drunk Stefan was such fun, Damon thought between groans. He tried to stay quiet, not wanting to give Stefan too much confidence so early on, but it was hard. His brother hadn't forgotten anything, knew exactly how he liked it. Already days had passed since their last encounter and this was just the perfect way to counteract all that stressful tension.

"Yeah, you love it, don't you, brother? Sucking my hard cock, yearning for my taste?"

He wanted to just grasp Stefan's head, to thrust hard, but he held himself back. He wasn't going to last much longer, the tight heat of his brother's mouth too much of a stimulation.

"I like seeing you on your knees, Stefan. Come on, I wanna see you touching yourself, coming when I do."

xoxoxoxoxxox

Damon's fingers were tight in his hair, urging him on as Stefan finally wrapped his mouth around his cock. He moaned a bit around that hard flesh, relaxing his throat to let his brother in deeper. Sensing that Damon was close he hummed softly, letting the sound vibrate through their bodies.

Stefan was achingly hard as he reached down to palm his cock through his pants. He didn't want to make a mess, but coming would be so good and he couldn't resist. Damon was starting to rock into his mouth, so getting his own pants open was quite a challenge, but somehow Stefan managed. So good. He jacked himself roughly, too turned on to go slow.

xoxoxoxoxxox

Those vibrations around his cock were too much. Watching Stefan touch himself and smelling that delicious tang of arousal, Damon felt his balls tighten and shot his load into his brother's waiting mouth as he reached his peak.

"Go on, Stefan, I want to see you come," he whispered, and without further summons his brother did just that.

"Mhm, this was a really good idea, little brother." He pulled Stefan up, kissing him hard, tongue twisting around to taste his own come.

Pulling away, he straightened his clothes. "I recommend you make yourself presentable, the party's not over yet." Damon opened the door, leaving Stefan to his own devices.

xoxoxoxoxxox

Stefan laughed at himself. He had mostly come onto the wall and floor, but it still took him some time to straighten his clothes. His lips were swollen, his hair messed up where Damon had gripped it. Stefan fixed his looks as best he could and went back to the party.

Things were going rapidly downhill. The hunger was stronger than ever and Stefan almost fed twice, from Matt's mother and some guy in the parking lot. He hadn't been able to resist the urge to lick the woman's blood off his fingers, so good, so sweet...

In the end he had managed to control himself, barely. Stefan was hanging in by the thinnest of threads as he stumbled home. He was barely able to see straight, let alone form any clear thought. Naturally, he ran into his brother.

xoxoxoxoxxox

Damon was happy to be at home. Except for the interlude with Stefan, the party had been one big nuisance. John Gilbert had revealed that he knew everything about the Salvatore brothers and then he wouldn't stay dead. Couldn't he kill anyone in this damn town anymore? Damned rings.

Sitting down in the den, he added some scotch to a glass of blood, trying to calm down before he had to tell Stefan all about it. But when his brother arrived he realized that Stefan was in no state to deal with any of that right now. He was on edge, just a small step from turning into a ravenous beast.

"You don't look so good, Stefan. It's time, isn't it? The need is too strong." His brother was gazing hungrily at the blood. "Course it would be after all these years." Damon placed the glass deliberately onto a table. Stefan didn't take his eyes off it. He got up and touched his brother's shoulder.

"Have a good night, brother." Damon stayed outside, waiting for Stefan to give in.

xoxoxoxoxxox

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: The Inevitable Dawn**

Part: 2 of 4 (Complete)  
Fandom: The Vampire Diaries  
Author: Ayumie and CrowX (LJ: Lady_Dragoncrow)  
Rating: NC 17  
Pairing: Damon/Stefan  
Summary: AU branching off after episode 1.17  
Warnings: Incest, slash obviously

Notes: Thanks to Lea724 for being an awesome and patient beta-reader. We had lots of fun with this - I hope everyone else will feel the same. The next parts are currently being edited.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

Part 2 

He couldn't take his eyes off the blood – even Damon's touch barely registered. There wasn't a choice, not really. Stefan's body moved on autopilot, legs walking towards the table, hand picking up the glass and bringing it to his mouth. It tasted like life, rich and powerful as it slid down his throat.

When the blood was gone and his mind clearer, Stefan sighed. He couldn't believe what he had done today, what he was about to do. It wasn't at all surprising to find that Damon was waiting right outside the door. Taking a deep breath, Stefan made himself look his brother in the eyes.

"Can you sleep in my room tonight?"

He knew what he was asking and he knew that Damon never did anything without a price. Stefan vaguely wondered what his brother would demand in return.

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Sighing, Damon faced his brother, who seemed slightly more alert. The request caught him off guard. But this was perfect; Stefan knew that he would have to give him something in return.

"It'd be a pleasure, little brother, but…" he trailed off, taking a minute to think about the possibilities. Except that considering the situation they were in right now, he knew exactly what he wanted.

"I need you to become stronger, Stef; things in this town are rapidly going to hell." Damon started to explain about John Gilbert.

"You have to drink human blood. I won't force you to bite anyone, I'll even keep you from killing, but you have to maintain a regular diet with blood bags."

Damon slowly moved in to hug his brother, maneuvering him towards the stairs.

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Stefan chuckled humorlessly, even as he let himself be pulled towards his room.

"You ask too much."

To tell the truth, he wasn't sure it was even possible for him to stop drinking human blood at this point. The small glass had only served to whet his appetite and the small voice in the back of his mind that kept asking what was so bad about feeding from blood bags kept getting louder and louder. What he was sure about, though, was the fact that he didn't want Damon to know this.

Revealing weakness to his brother was never a good idea, no matter how reconciliatory Damon was acting at the moment. In front of his room, Stefan stopped, trying to will away hunger and tiredness.

"All I want is for you to spend one night in my room – hardly a big deal. And you are asking me to change my entire life? It doesn't seem fair. Especially since you already got a rather spectacular blowjob out of me today – that should be worth something..."

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

For now Damon would give in. After all, he had learned a lot of patience over the last decades. Sooner or later Stefan would have to see reason.

"You drive a hard bargain, Stef, but for now I must admit that you're right," Damon slowly looked his brother up and down. "Your blowjob really deserves a reward."

He pushed Stefan inside and slowly began to unbutton his shirt. "Let me take care of you, you're barely able to stand."

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Breathing a sigh of relief, Stefan let himself be undressed before he all but collapsed into bed. Damon followed closely behind and it seemed only natural to curl up against him, to sniff his scent and finally, blessedly, relax.

His brother's arms once more settled around him, uncharacteristically gentle. Almost immediately Stefan drifted off to sleep. It had been a difficult day, to say the least. He couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't deny himself this way. Just for a few days, he would allow himself blood. Nobody needed to know, least of all Damon, who would take it as a victory. He'd be fine. Everything would be fine.

And then, once he was sure that he could stand it, Stefan would stop and be good once more.

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

With Stefan in his arms Damon could get used to cuddling. His brother smelled wonderful and it didn't take long before Damon drifted off to sleep himself.

Waking up was even nicer. During the night they had entwined their limbs and Damon felt his brother's erection press against his stomach. He smirked lazily, thrusting his answering hardness against it. Brushing his lips over Stefan's neck, he placed small kisses along his jaw.

"Wake up, brother; you don't want to be late for school, do you? I've gotten too many calls about that already."

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Still half asleep, Stefan moaned as he was woken by soft kisses and pleasant friction. He briefly debated trying to pull away, but decided against it. After all, he had already decided that today didn't count.  
Arching his back, Stefan slowly rocked against his brother.

"Not going to school today. I'm not safe to be around. Although I'm sure it pains you greatly to see me miss  
class..."

Stefan rolled onto his back and pulled Damon with him, on top of him. It was undeniably pleasant to wake up like this, to not constantly worry about the right and wrong of things. He pulled Damon in for a kiss.

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

This was nice, even domestic, but Damon could get used to it. Their slow, lazy kisses grew more frantic with each passing minute. He explored his brother's mouth, sucking on Stefan's lower lip and biting it with his emerging fangs. Moaning, Damon lapped at those delicious drops of blood. The change of diet had improved the taste greatly.

Almost as an afterthought, Damon rubbed their still clothed erections against each other. Suddenly an idea crossed his mind. It had been such a long time and Stefan deserved a reward for his recent performance.

"Since you have all this free time while playing hooky, why don't you show me if you still got it? Do you think you can fuck me like you used to?"

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Stefan tried not to show his surprise. It had happened before – after all these years they had tried pretty much anything at one time or another – but for the most part Damon enjoyed his superior strength too much to settle for a more passive role. And truth to be told, Stefan liked it that way.

Now, however, the mere thought of fucking into that tight heat was enough to make Stefan gasp. He licked his bloody lips, unable to think of a single thing to say.

At last Stefan's hands moved on their own accord, running down his brother's back to cup his ass and roughly drag him closer.

"Damon?"

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Stefan seemed very surprised about this suggestion, but his hands didn't hesitate to take action. Damon scraped his own tongue along his fang and kissed his brother once more, forcing him to share the blood mingling together in their open mouths. It was delicious, like sharing the flavor of their cum after sucking each other.

"Yeah, Stefan, bring it on. Don't you remember the time in Marseilles at that party, after drinking all the absinthe? You were so forceful, it was fantastic. I want to see that side in you again," Damon whispered seductively and unbuttoned his trousers.

Pushing them down, he knelt on the bed. If that didn't tempt Stefan, he was at his wit's end.

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

The sight of his brother on his knees, all pale skin and long, smooth lines, drew a growl from Stefan's throat. Nobody could resist that, he thought despairingly. Nobody should have to.

Briefly pausing to retrieve a bottle of lube from the nightstand, Stefan pressed a kiss to the small of Damon's back. The taste of his brother was still in his mouth as he ran his thumb over that snug hole.

Damon was tight, but he opened beautifully to the intrusion. Stefan wondered vaguely if maybe his brother had allowed somebody else to do this to him and the thought drove a jolt of jealousy through him. He added another finger, quicker than before.

"Forceful, huh? I'll see what I can do about that."

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Oh, this was wonderful, painful yet so fulfilling. Damon bit back a groan, but couldn't help the growl in his throat. Since Stefan was the only one who enjoyed this particular privilege, it had been quite some time, but he had still enough control over his body to ease the preparation.

"Aah, Stef," he moaned when he felt the third finger entering. "Remember when you did it the first time? How you felt fucking your older brother? You were only sixteen and you were so afraid that our father would come home early and catch us."

Pushing his ass against those invading fingers, he commanded: "That's enough. Take me."

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

"Was afraid of hurting you, too. Couldn't believe we were actually doing this. You were so... God, I wish you weren't so beautiful."

He would never, ever admit just what watching Damon fuck himself on his fingers did to him. Stefan pulled his hand back a bit and watched as his brother growled and tried to follow. Damon's next words made him laugh.

"And I'm the slut? Just look at yourself!"

He didn't waste more time, though, withdrawing his fingers and positioning himself. Stefan pushed into Damon's ass with one long, steady thrust.

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

"Only for you, little brother," Damon replied as he was invaded with one strong thrust. Just as he had demanded, Stefan took action. Flashes from their past fucks came back to him. Only now did Damon realize that he had missed this, this Stefan who could be ruthless, who would take what he wanted.

Soon they established a rhythm that took his breath away. Slowly but surely Stefan got the hang of it, hitting his prostrate over and over again. Damon moaned unintelligible words, reaching down to his neglected erection straining.

"God, Stef, tell me how much you want me, tell me how you yearned to do this..."

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Stefan fucked Damon with long, hard thrusts, the latter meeting his thrusts with equal force. A change of angle, deeper, better, since it caused his brother to make the most indecent noises. The press of his fangs was impossible to ignore and, face twisting into an animal snarl, Stefan groaned harshly.

When Damon reached for his cock, he swatted his hand away, left him untouched for long, seconds before starting to stroke him roughly in time with his thrusts. Stefan wanted to fuck his brother incoherent.

"Vain, too. Told you already that I want you badly..."

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Those snarled words made Damon ache so much, made him all but yearn for release. Panting, he pushed back with more force, wanting to feel his brother split him apart. Stefan's hand on his cock was torture as well as pleasure and with the last of his strength Damon commanded:

"Bite me, Stefan, I want to feel your teeth as well as your cock."

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Finally he didn't have to hold back, didn't have to be careful. Stefan pounded that tight ass fast and hard, loving the fact that he didn't have to be afraid of hurting the body beneath him. Damon didn't seem to mind. They were both close, so close...

Stefan surged forward and bit the tantalizing piece of flesh where neck met shoulder, fangs digging in deep, drawing blood to the surface. As though this was all that he had been waiting for, Damon cried out, body tensing as warm liquid spilled over Stefan's fingers.

Which seemed to be all he had been waiting for. Pleasure exploded in Stefan's stomach and he buried himself deep in Damon's body as he found release.

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

For the first time in too long Damon saw nothing but whiteness as he came. He hadn't known how much he had missed his brother's teeth as well as his strong touch. Panting he collapsed on the bed, not support himself any longer. With closed eyes he shuddered as the last waves of pleasure rolled over him.

He didn't mind Stefan's weight pressing him down. For once it was like Stefan was shielding him from harm, like his little brother had become his protector. This was actually nice. Just as he had told Stefan, Damon wanted him by his side as an equal and this felt exactly right.

For once totally unguarded, Damon mumbled a few words only to want to swallow them back a moment later, hoping his brother hadn't heard them: "Love ya, brother."

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Stefan stayed buried in his brother for some time until the small shudders that were wreaking his body subsided. He started at Damon's words, not quite sure that he had heard right. There had to be a catch. Damon wanted something, this was all part of a plan, he was sure of it now. Stefan pulled out and sat up. He needed to get away.

Leaving his brother drowsing contently on the bed, Stefan stumbled towards the bathroom.

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

The rest of the day passed in a daze of anticipation. Stefan fixed the refrigerator in the basement. He would need to get blood from somewhere else, somewhere Damon wouldn't notice. After all, this was only temporary and he didn't want to play into his brother's hands. Today didn't count.

Once it was dark, Stefan headed towards the nearest blood bank.

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

A few hours later Damon awoke gradually. His body ached in places he hadn't felt for many decades and like a cat he curled up between damp sheets still smelling strongly of Stefan pleasure. He was glad that his brother was already gone, since his last statement still rang in his mind. How could he confess something like that? But on the other side maybe it would work in his favor.

His brother didn't show up until the next day, apparently coming back from school. Much to Damon's surprise, Stefan looked much better. Was the crisis over that fast, he wondered disappointedly. But something wasn't quite right. He couldn't put his finger on it, but Stefan's mood was just too good.

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

He was feeling great. Better than great, in fact. Stefan grinned to himself as he returned to the boarding house that evening. He had been to school that day and nobody was the wiser. Elena was fine, the tomb vampires hadn't shown up again and he had managed to avoid Damon for almost two whole days.

Of course his lucky streak couldn't continue. Damon's voice stopped him on the way to his room and he turned, smile still in place. Stefan denied everything. It was better this way, really.

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

"I can't believe it, you are lying to me," Damon exclaimed half astonished, half pleased. His brother seemed so changed, it was more than he had dared to hope for. Stefan looked hyper, smiling in a carefree way that was totally uncharacteristic. Something was off and Damon naturally wanted to find out the reason behind this.

With stealth acquired over a century and a half he went after his brother, following him to the basement. Even knowing what he would most likely be finding there, the actual sight of it was still surprising. Stefan had filled the whole refrigerator with blood bags, the same blood bags that had brought John Gilbert to the scene.

"Well, well, he's a liar and a thief. So, when were you gonna share?"

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Oh God. Stefan briefly closed his eyes, before turning to face his brother.

"Help yourself."

Damon was looking at him with something like hurt in his eyes. This wasn't supposed to be happening. Nothing to do now but brazen it out. Stefan made himself look at his brother, trying desperately to hang on to some semblance of control. He could do this, he told himself. If only Damon would let this slide, he would  
figure out a way for things to go back to normal.

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

"No, I'm talking about the fact that you're a closet blood junkie," Damon drawled, his arms crossed. "Why so secretive? You know that I have no problem with that." This was so much fun – he had never expected Stefan to do something like this. Maybe his brother was finally giving in to his instincts.

Damon went over to Stefan, taking the blood bag out of his hand. "As long as you're keeping a low profile, and that, my dear brother, you haven't."

He opened the bag, sniffing the blood. "Very nice, AB positive." He coated his fingers in the blood, and smeared Stefan's lips with it. "Suck."

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Stefan swallowed convulsively.

"I have it under control. And I do not need you to tell me to keep a low profile."

He was in control. He really was. The coppery scent of blood was strong in the small room and Stefan watched enraptured as Damon brought up wet, red fingers. He grabbed his brother's wrist and licked. It tasted so good. Soon those fingers were in his mouth as he tried to catch even the last drops of blood.

This was happening too often. They had never been able to stay completely away from each other, but over the last week everything had accelerated.

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

His brother was acting like an addict – which was probably exactly what he was. Damon didn't know whether to be exasperated or exhilarated. This could go so wrong in so many different ways. But on the other hand the feeling of Stefan's tongue lapping at the blood, sucking on his fingers, was great.

"Now that I know that you've trouble controlling yourself, I'm keeping an eye on you. You've got enough blood here to last you a while. Right now is not a time for me to be worried about you snapping, okay?"

Damon brought the bag to his lips, taking a mouthful without swallowing. Stepping up to Stefan, he kissed, waiting for his brother to take action.

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Stefan let those fingers slip out of his mouth and scowled.

"I told you that I'm good. Back off, Damon."

He didn't move away as Damon stepped closer, wondering whether he was making a point or playing right into his brother's hands. Stefan all out groaned at the kiss, tongue sneaking out to lick over those tempting lips, to push past them and get a share of the blood in Damon's mouth. His fists were clenching into his brother's jacket, dragging him closer against him.

Needy little noises were escaping from his mouth and Stefan didn't know which of them he hated more – Damon for toying with him in this way or himself for being unable to resist.

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

This was great. They were sharing blood like they had done in the beginning so many decades ago. Of course then it hadn't come from bag. Damon pulled away from the heated kiss, tilting the blood bag to his brother's lips, feeding him. This color on Stefan's lips was like an aphrodisiac for Damon, his trousers tightening yet again.

With his tongue he lapped at the escaping droplets. It dawned on Damon, that this Stefan right now had to be held on a tight leash. He had to distract him so that he wouldn't go to the Miss Mystic Falls Gala. Poor Elena, but it was better than a bloodbath at the dance.

He rubbed his clothed erection against Stefan's, growling low in his throat.

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Stefan swallowed greedily. The blood was cool and tasted faintly of plastic and, unbidden, the thought sprang into his mind that it'd be even better fresh – warm and pumping out of a human throat.

The empty blood bag fell to the ground and Damon was rubbing against him. Stefan groaned helplessly, reaching up to get his fingers into his brother's hair, pulling him in for a kiss. Stefan's fangs were still out, lips wet and stained with blood and he didn't care. All he knew was that his brother's tongue was sliding against his and the strong thigh that was pressing between his legs felt like heaven. Despairingly, he wondered if Damon had any idea how far he was really gone. He hoped not.

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

One after another of Stefan's clothes vanished, as Damon skillfully undressed him without ever stopping the seduction. Taking his time with his brother, Damon touched that gorgeous body slowly, pulling away before Stefan could come.

Damon knew from his own experience that sex could dampen the violence of feeding quite a bit. This was something that might help Stefan control his addiction. Teaching him would take a while, but Damon didn't mind at all.

He grabbed another blood bag, tearing it open with his fangs, sucking the blood and feeding Stefan with a kiss again. If anyone would come into the room they would think it was a scene from a slaughterhouse or a horror movie, blood spilled everywhere.

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Catching on to what Damon was doing, Stefan started to tug at his brother's clothes, fingers struggling with obstinate zippers and buttons. In the end he got Damon mostly naked, frantically trying to touch every inch of bared skin.

When Damon kissed him again, he eagerly opened his mouth to receive more blood. It was kind of messy as some of it spilled down their throats and chests. Thinking that it'd be a terrible waste, Stefan followed that red trail with his lips and tongue.

There was more blood in the bag, though, and even as he tongued his brother's nipple, Stefan moved to grab it from Damon.

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Damon laughed loud, this was too great, they were fooling around, nearly rolling in blood. He held the bag out of reach, pouring it out over Stefan's mouth, and watched fascinated as Stefan lapped at the thin stream.  
They didn't even need lube – Damon simply used his bloody fingers to part Stefan's cheeks and push between them. It didn't take long to prepare his brother and to coat his own cock with more blood. Bending Stefan over the refrigerator he pushed into him with a swift move. He pulled Stefan's head backwards to kiss him even as he pounded mercilessly into that tight ass. Damon tumbled over the edge mere minutes later and, with a bloody hand, reached around for his brother's cock.

"So good, Stefan, love watching you like this. Come!"

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Stefan let himself be manhandled, making small, animal noises as his brother fucked into him. He was angled sharply, back aching as Damon kept him low on the refrigerator even as he twisted him around for a kiss. The blood was everywhere – in their mouths, on their bodies, on the ground around them.

Damon's cock was still buried deep inside him and he writhed around it, whining. The rhythm was hard, perfect, and Stefan couldn't do anything but take it. Damon's hand around his cock was all he needed. Stefan shuddered, body tightening, tensing all over. He all but blacked out as he came.

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Slowly Damon pulled out of Stefan, supporting his dazed brother with one arm. He took in the bloodied room and decided to move them to somewhere more comfortable. With his vampire strength it was no trouble to put his brother in Damon's bed. He went to the bathroom and got some wet towels to clean Stefan, since he didn't want his brother to be too horrified by their messy state.

Afterwards he went to get a shower himself. Thinking about what to do next, Damon decided to shut off their phones. Hopefully he'd get Stefan accustomed to the hunger and teach him some control before his brother lost it. For the next days he planned a healthy diet with a lot of liquor and sex. Smirking, Damon thought about all the fun they could have.

TBC

Please leave a review or comment. That would make our day!


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: The Inevitable Dawn**

Part: 3 of 4 (Complete)  
Fandom: The Vampire Diaries  
Author: Ayumie and CrowX  
Rating: NC 17  
Pairing: Damon/Stefan  
Summary: AU branching off after episode 1.17  
Warnings: Incest, slash

Notes: Thanks to Lea724 for being an awesome and patient beta-reader. We had lots of fun with this - I hope everyone else will feel the same. Comments make us happy :)

**The last part is currently being edited. It may take a while to upload it, because our wonderful beta-reader will edit it full-heartedly. So please be patient! **

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

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* * *

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Part 3

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It was like a dream – everything. At times Stefan was vaguely aware that something was wrong, that he was forgetting something, but he couldn't bring himself to care. It was nice, not caring about anything and this was only temporary after all.

Damon was always there, plying him with blood and alcohol and kisses. From time to time Stefan tried to leave, but he always found himself back in bed with blood on his lips or his brother's mouth around his cock and after a while he just gave up.

They seemed to be feeding constantly from blood bags and each other, trading blood back and forth in an endless, vicious circle. As often as not, Damon would steal the blood Stefan had drunk only moments ago, confiding in a low, dirty whisper that it tasted better that way.  
They kept fucking, too, bodies entwining between bloody sheets in endless variations of a theme that never ceased to feel amazing.

The rest of the time Stefan slept, blithely unaware of the world outside.

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Elena knocked at the door of the boarding house. She didn't know whether to be angry or worried, but one thing was clear: She had to find Stefan. Elena kept knocking until the door opened.

"Where is he?"

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

When Damon heard Elena knock, he was actually quite surprised. He had told the Founders' Council that he and his brother had to leave town to take care of some business, but he had totally forgotten about her. Elena looked both enraged and worried.

"Stefan is having a hard time dealing with the hunger. He's been drinking human blood and he's stolen enough blood bags to fill a whole damn refrigerator. I'm trying to help him, but it'll take time. Until then I can't let him out of my sight, it's too dangerous."

Elena looked pale and very distressed, but Damon had to be honest with her.

"I don't think that Stefan will ever be able to go back to his squirrel diet. But he will be in control of his hunger and he won't hurt anyone. Unfortunately that's not going to happen overnight."

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Elena tried not to look too closely at Damon's attire. He had clearly been through a lot.

"That doesn't sound like the Stefan I know. I want to see him, Damon. He's my boyfriend, I have a right to. So where is he?"

They kept arguing until Damon simply shut the door in her face.

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

The next day Stefan stumbled into the bathroom. A stranger looked back at him from the mirror, face flushed and blood-streaked, hair sticking up at odd angles. His skin was sticky with sweat and semen. A shower. A shower sounded like a good idea.

Stefan was still grinning as the cold water hit him full blast. His knees almost buckled. What had he done?  
Elena. He needed his cell phone. He needed to get out and do something, anything, to rectify the situation. God, he didn't even know how long it had been.

Except Damon was still in the other room. Cold fury washed through him. This was all Damon's fault. Hastily grabbing a towel to cover himself, Stefan burst into the bedroom.

"Where's my cell phone?"

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Stefan was bursting into the room, his familiar scowl firmly in place. Damon had been expecting his brother's wake-up call much sooner. But now that the situation was here he had to deal with it. Since Stefan's face was equally enraged, betrayed, and miserable, it was going to be a lot of work.

"I switched it off after I told Elena that you would be away for a while," Damon replied in a quiet and soothing voice. "It would've been bad for her to see you in this state."

He stood up and walked over to Stefan, holding his hands up in a pacifying way. "How are you feeling, Stefan? Do you still think that you can't control the hunger? By now the first frenzy must've passed."

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Stefan quickly took a step back.

"Control? I don't seem to be in control of anything anymore."

Seeing that Damon wasn't going to be any help – big surprise there – Stefan searched the room until he located his cell phone half hidden beneath a pile of clothes. He listened to the messages, face stony.

"So, what am I going to tell Elena, then? I'm sorry, I couldn't make it to your beauty pageant because I was busy getting fucked by my brother? If she'll even talk to me, that is. Is that the plan? Break me and Elena up so that you can have a shot at her instead, now that Katherine is out of the picture?"

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Damon laughed with outrage. His brother was so stupid sometimes.

"What would I want with Elena? Granted, she's not as bad as other humans, but her resemblance to that fucking bitch is too much for me. Anyway, it's not her I want, little brother."

He moved menacingly and cornered Stefan. "Who have I been fucking for the last three days? Who was screaming my name? Who have I been taking care of?"

"You can't see it right now, but Stefan, you're much stronger already. The addict feeling is subsiding. If you keep it up, you can feed just from blood bags without attacking anyone."

"I don't care what happens with you and Elena as long as you keep coming back to me. Or I will make you!"

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Stefan stayed tense, muscles coiled and ready for action. He wouldn't be lulled back into his previous stupor.

"Very good, Damon, very convincing. You wanna hear something funny? For a moment I actually believed you – all this 'I want us to be equals' crap. You almost had me there. Come on, you can laugh now. Stupid Stefan just keeps falling for your little mind games. It must have been fun, hearing me beg for it."

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Damon felt all reason leave him. It had always been like that: they had fucked and then their relationship was doomed to fail because of their different opinions. They had never been able to find common ground; only recently he had begun to think that it might be possible.

"So what, brother, are you back to hating me? Do you want me gone? You think that I've been manipulating you? I just wanted you to be stronger, to be on my side. And why? Because you're the only fucking person in my existence I actually care about."

He threw the bottle of scotch against the wall, missing Stefan by mere inches.

"You wanna go back to your fucking pretend life? Do it. Go back to your little human girlfriend. Watch her grow old and die! Since you're too much of a chicken to turn her. Have fun with your phony high school role."

Damon stormed out of the bedroom without looking back. Grabbing his leather jacket with his wallet, keys, and phone, he slammed the door and rushed to his car. He was leaving this fucking town for good!

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Suddenly Stefan felt strangely calm. It was enough. He had done everything he could think of to make this existence work and clearly he had failed miserably. Stefan slowly pulled his ring from his finger and placed it onto his desk. He would talk to Elena, he owed her that much. And then he would finally do what he should have done all those years ago.

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Elena's hands shook as she dialed Damon's number.

"Damon? Do you know where Stefan is? Did something happen? Because he just came over and he seemed really weird. I think he was saying goodbye. Damon, he wasn't wearing his ring!"

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Driving in the calm, quiet night had done wonders to soothe Damon's incensed mood. He stopped under the trees not far away from Mystic Falls. For some hours, he ran through the woods, mourning the fact that he couldn't get lost in them anymore. He remembered a time when he'd explored those same woods with his brother, unaware of the darkness looming over them.

Shortly before midnight his phone rang, it was Elena. When he heard her frantic words, he felt like he was being drowned in ice water.

"Are you sure, Elena? We had a disagreement and I went away. Thought he would be happy to be rid of me. Do you really believe he would be so stupid?"

But even asking her this, Damon knew that Stefan wasn't just being a drama queen. There had been times before when his brother had questioned his existence but he had never outright contemplated suicide. As far as Damon remembered.

Using every ounce of vampire speed, he rushed back to his car. At least there was still some time until dawn. There was a strange pressure in his chest and after some moments he identified it as guilt, an emotion he hadn't felt for many decades.

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Stefan sat beneath the gazebo, looking out over the lake. Sunrise was still a few hours away and, strange as it was, he found himself enjoying the quiet. He should probably be more distraught, but now that he had made his decision, the only thing he felt was relief. 145 years of trouble and heartbreak were quite enough.

It was better this way. Elena would get over him – it had only been a few months after all, and she was strong. Stefan had always admired that about her. And Damon ... this would finally break the vicious circle both of them were trapped in.

When he heard footsteps approaching, Stefan sighed.

"Go away, Damon."

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Damon had searched the house like a whirlwind, quite sure that Stefan had left the ring somewhere in his room. When he found it, he ran outside. It wasn't hard to guess where his brother would want to spend his final hours before greeting the sun.

When he found him in the place where they had woken up after their first death, he was incredibly relieved. But now came the hard part.

"No. Stefan, do you really think that it is going to be that easy?" Damon decided that making Stefan angry was better than his calm demeanor. He stayed behind him, glaring at his back.  
"I can't quite understand why you would do it now! After Katherine's supposed death would have been a better time. Or when you grew a conscience. But now?"

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

"Actually I had kind of hoped that it would be."

Stefan didn't turn around. He probably shouldn't have gone to see Elena. Oh, well. It wasn't like Damon could really stop him. Only he would have preferred that his brother didn't watch his end.

"Have you never felt that it is enough? That you just can't take it anymore? Don't say anything, I know you haven't. I guess I always felt that I could make this ... this existence work. I couldn't. Everything just keeps falling apart. It's been 145 years and I want it over with, Damon."

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Damon felt helpless, not a feeling he liked.

"Is it just because of what happened? You haven't done anything wrong, Stefan, you haven't killed anyone. And now you should be able to control your urges."

Trying to think like his brother wasn't easy. "And what happened between us, that's just what always happens sooner or later. We've always had sex. It's no big deal."

Damon went over to Stefan and sat down beside him. If the sun hadn't been about to rise, it would have been nice.

"Don't you think it's kinda selfish," he tried to appeal to Stefan's code of ethics. "Elena will be beyond hurt, as will be some of your older friends. And don't forget that you're the only person I actually care about." Even now it was hard to speak of his own feelings.

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

"It's not any one thing, Damon. You all think that I drink animal blood because I'm strong or want to be better than everybody else or something. I'm weak."

"I know myself – if I had the ability to switch off my emotions, I'd do it. Eventually I'd hurt people because I simply wouldn't care that I did. It'd destroy me, one way or another. I'm just opting for sooner rather than later..."

Stefan tensed a bit as Damon sat down next to him. His brother's next words made him lift his head.

"What I have with Elena is all fake anyway. That's what you were telling me earlier, wasn't it? And I ... I know that you care for me. I know because I never stopped caring either, no matter how hard I tried. You'll get over it, though. You got over Katherine, you can get over anything."

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

For the first time in his life, Damon was seriously frightened. He tried to think about a future without his brother. To know that there was no one he could go back to, no one to understand him, to share his past. It was unthinkable.

Getting Stefan angry didn't work at all, so Damon changed his tactic.

"Can you remember the day I found out about Katherine not being in that tomb? I was devastated and I thought that nothing was left for me. But guess what, there was something: you! I can't imagine a life where it's not possible to come back to you."

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

"I got over Katherine because of you, little brother. When you are gone, who do you think would be there for me? And you're wrong about Elena. She called me and was very worried. She could tell what you're about to do and if you go through with this, she'll blame herself forever!"

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

"Oh, Damon."

His brother was clearly distraught and Stefan didn't know what to say to make it better. For the first time, his resolve was shaken. Stefan looked up.

"I didn't know that you felt this way. But what exactly would you suggest we do? You have to see that we cannot continue this way. Something has to change. This is the best way..."

At least it had seemed to be. Everything had seemed so clear before Damon had shown up.

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

At least his brother was talking to him, responding to his arguments. Damon covertly patted his pocket to check whether the ring was still there. Touching it was a relief.

"The best way? For you, maybe!" Damon countered passionately. "But that's not true either. How exactly do you want your life to be? What do you want to change?"

Checking the sky, Damon was glad to see that there was still time. Cursing inwardly, he realized that if there was a way to change Stefan's mind, he had to bare his soul.

"What would it take for you to be able to stand being around me? Because I can't lose you, brother, in any way! I ... I love you," he mumbled quietly in the end.

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Stefan couldn't believe what he was hearing. This didn't sound like Damon at all. He shook his head and bit his lip, hesitating. Maybe this was just one of Damon's games. But maybe it wasn't. If Damon was really serious...

For the first time in many years Stefan could almost believe that his brother was willing to listen.

"Those past few days – you knew that this was something I would never consent to under normal circumstances. You knew that I couldn't stop myself and you just kept pushing. I told you that Katherine compelled me, right? When I first learned what she was, I was horrified. I just wanted her away from me. Compulsion – it makes you do certain things, think in a certain way. But it doesn't change the way you feel deep inside, not really. She took away my will... It was bad. I didn't realize for a long time just how bad it was."

Not sure how Damon would react, Stefan looked down.

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

For the first time, Damon had the feeling that Stefan was really talking to him. Or maybe it was the first time that he was really listening. At least his brother was starting to open, even though he hadn't reacted to his declaration. Damon composed himself and began to address each issue.

"Yes, I know that this wasn't what you wanted but I thought that you would eventually understand my reasons. I am sorry that I didn't help you then with Katherine, but Stefan, for me it was absolutely different. I was completely in love with her as the monster; I did everything willingly. And when I saw that you had to be compelled to be with her, I was so angry at you. That's why I hated you for so long. It should have been just me, since I truly loved her. But now both of us know how she played with me and I feel like such a fool."

Taking another deep breath, he continued. "That's why I can't really understand how bad this compulsion must have been for you. But as terrible as it was for you, you can at least be proud that you stayed yourself deep inside. You are still the little brother I had then, with your morals and your integrity. But me, I changed, I threw away humanity for Katherine and now? It's unlikely I can ever go back."

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

"It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have done anything to stop her and you loved her so much. I know that. I mean, I was in love with her, too."

For a moment Stefan fell silent. In a way what Damon said was true, but still. Even after all this time, even considering what he was about to do, it was impossible to believe that his beloved older brother should have just ceased to exist.

"That's not true! I just made a decision about what I wanted to be. So can you. But if you like that I am still that person, why did you try so hard to change me?"

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

"We should both get over this bitch, she was never worth it," Damon concluded. He thought about what Stefan had told him. Was there really a way to go back to the person he once had been? Did he actually want that? Damon slowly realized that this wasn't the case. Not exactly.

"I don't really want to be a weak human again, there's too much I've done and experienced. But I don't want to be who I've been for the last decades either. Maybe I could change a bit, though I doubt that I could ever renounce human blood."

"You, on the other hand ... you are my little brother. I want to protect you, you can believe that. And you aren't human anymore, you are a vampire. And I always thought that you should be as strong as all the others out there, so that you can survive on your own when I'm not around. That's why I wanted you to start drinking human blood again."

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

"I can survive on my own, Damon! What do you think I've been doing for these past 15 years? But Damon, do you really mean it? If you do, maybe you could just stop killing people for fun. That'd be a start. But other than that, you wouldn't have to change much – you could still be your usual charming self when you don't like something."

Hesitantly Stefan reached out to touch Damon's shoulder. It was so weird to be talking like this, but he wanted it to last. Probably all of this was only possible because he knew that there would be no consequences...

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

This was nice, this companionable chat. But still, the main issue wasn't solved. Contemplating Stefan's words, Damon gave a sudden laugh.

"That's really funny, Stef. Did you know that I haven't killed anyone for fun since Vicky? And I turned her, so it doesn't count. The people I've killed in the last months were all necessary. If that's what you want, I'm already doing it. And you're right, you have been surviving without me."

Damon threw an arm around Stefan's shoulder, pulling him close and turned serious.

"But maybe you've got the right idea after all, maybe it's enough. I mean, you forced me to drink blood and as a result into this existence and I truly hated you for your selfishness then, before I found out about the tomb. Now though, I totally understand you. I don't want this existence without you at my side either. I would have done the same back then and I have forgiven you for that a long time ago."

He pulled out Stefan's ring and removed his own ring, throwing them into the grass in front of them.

"We should do this together, okay? That way we will never be separated again, little brother."

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

"Oh, please! You made it abundantly clear that you were just being careful because you didn't want to get caught. That's not the same as really stopping. Or if it is, you should have said something."

His brother's next words made Stefan's head whip around. Even knowing that considering what he was about to do he wasn't making any sense, his first reaction was instinctive denial.

"You can't be serious! Damon, think about this! You love your life, you love being a vampire – why would you kill yourself? Just because I'm not there? You can find somebody else to share your life."

He didn't want Damon to die. The thought that the last thing he saw should be his burning brother was enough to terrify Stefan.

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Finally Stefan was responding to his pleads – or rather his threat. Now he seemed to finally realize how awful it was for Damon to see his brother contemplate suicide. Damon laughed derisively.

"Who would be there to share my life? Nobody could ever understand me like you, little brother. You were always a constant in my life. I can't remember a time without you. Even in our years apart, you were always in the back of my mind."

Damon looked up at the steadily lightening sky. Dawn was approaching. Not long now and there would be just two black spots on the ground. He wondered if it would be very painful.

"Yes, I love being a vampire and relish the mayhem I can cause – even without killing anyone. But those are all distractions. Right now I'm still trying to find a purpose in life after Katherine. But with you gone, there's nothing."

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Noting the first graying signs of dawn, Stefan slowly picked up his ring.

"What if ... what if we were to try? If you mean what you said tonight – if you stop killing for fun, if you'll just accept my choices... But first I'd have to somehow stop drinking human blood and I cannot trust myself right now. A few more hours and I might be begging you to let me feed."

Stefan sighed heavily and turned his ring between his fingers.

"As your brother, I am asking you for your help. And I am prepared to ... to make some concessions in return."

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

The joy Damon felt was so overwhelming that he wanted to scream with it. But he held back, not wanting to show his relief just yet. It wasn't over. Damon didn't take his ring.

"I promise you, brother, not to kill anyone. As long as they are not a threat to us, because self-defense is always allowed. But not for fun or to feed." He thought about the other conditions. Stefan had actually been very persuasive.

"And I also promise you, that I will help you to return … to your animal diet. If that's what you want, I will do it. If you're really sure that you can't just do the blood bag thing."

"On the other side I want to try being brothers again – of course with benefits. We aren't normal human siblings, we are vampires after all. I miss the closeness we had as humans. Would that be okay?" he asked still uncertain. They hadn't yet talked about Elena, but that was a discussion for another time.

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Aware of his brother's eyes on him, Stefan slowly put on his ring. He wasn't sure that it would work – he wasn't sure of anything. But maybe, just maybe there was a chance.

"I would ... I would like that. There's something I want to promise as well. I promise that I won't leave you. Even if things go wrong in Mystic Falls, I promise that I will talk to you before I make any decisions. And I promise not to think too much about the right and wrong of our relationship. I want to trust you, Damon."

He didn't say 'don't make me regret it.' He didn't have to.

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Now Damon could finally show his relief. It was an honest smile without any sarcastic meaning behind it.

"I've promised to help you and I will honor our agreement, Stefan. Thanks for the new chance!" he mumbled in the end. Now he could put his own ring on as well. He stood up and turned to his brother, holding his hand out.

"Come on, let's get home. You need to sleep and then we'll try to get the human blood out of your system. But I'm not hunting squirrels for you, I'll go to the butcher in the next town and get a few gallons of piggy blood, okay? Or what do you prefer?"

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Stefan had to suppress a laugh at the thought of his brother stalking squirrels. He let Damon pull him to his feet.

"Don't worry, I would never expect you to do anything so undignified. Pig's blood is fine. But do I look that tired? I've been having trouble sleeping lately..."

Only a few hours ago, he wouldn't have considered admitting this kind of weakness to Damon, particularly since the other vampire was bound to realize that this was why he had been asking him to share his bed lately.

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

It was a big step in their relationship for Stefan to admit to a weakness, Damon realized. The need to protect his brother even just against sleeplessness was growing stronger. He once more threw an arm around his Stefan's shoulder and steered him back towards the boarding house.

"You look wretched, little brother. Don't worry, let's sleep in one of the guest rooms. They are clean and blood-free and I'll be right next to you."

They did just as he had suggested and Damon let Stefan snuggle close against him. When he was sure that his brother was asleep, Damon could finally relax again. Deciding to get some rest, he slept, too.

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

Standing up around lunch time Damon texted Elena so that she wouldn't worry and then went to clean the house from their bloody carnage. At least vampire speed helped to accomplish this task much faster than a human could have managed. The last thing Damon did was hide the contents of the refrigerator in the basement. Going back to the guest room, he found Stefan still asleep and settled down next to him again.

XXOOXXOOXXOOXX

It took another day for Stefan to become ravenous. He could feel his resolve crumbling, hunger taking over. He had been stupid to think that he could live without real blood – he needed it like humans needed air. He'd just drink a little bit to tide him over. It probably wasn't healthy to go cold turkey anyway and Damon would never know.

Stefan sneaked into the basement only to stare at the empty refrigerator in utter disbelief. How was this even possible? The kitchen was in a similar state and, all good intentions forgotten, Stefan tried to think. This had to be Damon's doing.

How long would it take for his brother to miss him? What would be faster, trying to find Damon's hidden stash or going outside to try and organize a fresh supply? After a moment of hesitation, Stefan headed for the door.

.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**The Inevitable Dawn 4/4**

Title: The Inevitable Dawn  
Part: 4 of 4  
Fandom: The Vampire Diaries  
Author: Ayumie and CrowX  
Rating: NC 17  
Pairing: Damon/Stefan  
Summary: AU branching off after episode 1.17.  
Warnings: Incest, Slash  
Notes: Thanks to **lea724** for being an awesome and patient beta-reader. We had lots of fun with this - I hope everyone else will feel the same. Comments make us happy :)

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**Part 4**

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Damon was cursing so loudly people in the street gave him strange looks. He hadn't believed that Stefan's addiction would surface so quickly. He had left his brother alone for only an hour to buy pig blood in the next town. But now his brother had gone missing again. This time at least, Stefan hadn't left his ring behind and Damon knew what the other vampire was after.

Hoping that Stefan would go after blood bags and not humans, Damon went to check out the hospitals. Bingo, there he was – hiding in some bushes near the hospital's emergency exit. As fast as he dared, Damon approached his brother and caught him in an unyielding grip.

"No, no, no, little brother, as much as it hurts me, you're not getting human blood. After all the trouble I went through to get you piggy blood!"

xxooxxooxx

Stefan cursed under his breath and tried to wriggle out of Damon's grasp. After a moment he relaxed, not quite sure whether to be relieved or annoyed.

"Let go, Damon. This isn't funny. I ... I need the blood. Just a little bit. That's normal, Damon. It happens every time I go back on my diet – it's a slow process. I have to wean myself off little by little and you cleaned out the house."

Damon wasn't letting go and for a minute the two of them stood in tense silence.

"Come on, you know what it is like. You understand what I'm saying, right?"

xxooxxooxx

Damon wasn't stupid and during his long existence he had been reading a lot, including some basic works on medicine and addiction. At this stage, his brother's words wouldn't convince him of anything.

"I understand fully. Let's go home and then I'll give you what you need. Come on."

He dragged his brother to the car and drove home. Of course he wasn't going to give Stefan what he was asking for. Damon hadn't forgotten what his brother had told him or the look in his eyes. He didn't want to disappoint Stefan again.

Once they were home, Damon pushed his brother against the wall.

"I'm sorry," he said determinedly as he bit Stefan, quickly taking as much blood as he could. When Stefan's knees buckled, he gathered him in his arms and brought him to his room.

xxooxxooxx

When Stefan came around, he felt dizzy. He vaguely remembered Damon feeding from him, taking too much, too quickly. Looking around, he found that he was in his own bed. His brother was watching him from the couch.

Still more than a little confused, Stefan frowned. His stomach was rebelling even as his mouth burned with want of blood.

"What did you do to me? I'm ... hungry."

God, he was hungry. Stefan's eyes lit on the bottle of blood Damon was holding. Although his brother's neck looked at least as appealing...

xxooxxooxx

It had taken longer than Damon had expected for Stefan to wake up. He had nearly drained him dry and Stefan's hunger was only natural.

"I've got blood for you, little brother. Lots of it, too." He opened the bottle and took a whiff.

"Hmm, delicious. I also brought some Bourbon to chase it down."

He shook the bottle in his other hand, looking at it approvingly. Since Stefan looked quite weak Damon stood up and went to his brother's side. Holding out the bottle with blood, he tilted his head.

"Come one, little brother. Drink up."

xxooxxooxx

Eyes never leaving his brother's face, Stefan reached out and took the bottle from Damon. He sipped at the blood, lips pulling into a little pout of distaste.

"That tastes vile."

Stefan drank some more, though, knowing that he'd need his strength if he wanted to persuade Damon to give him human blood. He looked up at his brother from beneath lowered lashes.

"Don't you have anything else? I just ... I need something stronger. Please, Damon. You want to take care of me, right? I'm so hungry!"

xxooxxooxx

Damon couldn't believe how the addiction was changing his brother. It would be so easy to give in to that seductive pout. But he remembered Stefan's pleads and also his threat. There was no way he would risk to lose his brother for good.

"We'll see. First you've got to finish this bottle, Stef." He reached out for his brother, pulling him on his lap.

"I'm taking care of you, don't worry."

When Stefan had finished the bottle Damon put it away, taking out the bourbon. He took a big gulp and leaned in, kissing those bloody lips. Stefan was right, it did taste vile. But for his brother's sake, Damon ignored it and explored his mouth.

xxooxxooxx

Feigning compliance, Stefan finished the bottle of blood although he couldn't suppress a grimace of distaste. He responded eagerly to his brother's kiss, licking into that tempting mouth. After a few minutes he brought his lips close to Damon's ear.

"I changed my mind. You were right, it's unnatural for a vampire not to drink human blood. You get what you want, Damon. Anything you want. Just think about how good it will be to feed together. ... you'll get to fuck me as hard as you want."

Moaning shamelessly, Stefan rubbed up against his brother. Damon would never be able to resist this.

xxooxxooxx

Damon's resolve was sorely tempted by the vivid picture Stefan painted. The two of them feeding together, sharing blood and pleasure. Damon responded eagerly to his brother's advances, rubbing back just as desperate.

"I remember when we shared our first meal together, Stefan. You tempted me then and it was so good, so exhilarating."

Damon shared out the bourbon between kisses in order to wash away the bad taste. He could get used to this, he thought, pig blood mixed with his brother's taste and alcohol. It tasted like Stefan. He wouldn't give in to temptation. Damon was going to take what he wanted and never relent.

"Come on, Stef, show me how much you want to change my mind. I like it when you're all determined and slutty."

xxooxxooxx

Gritting his teeth in frustration, Stefan tugged at his brother's belt. Damon was toying with him, but there was nothing to do but play along. He knew that the other vampire wouldn't let him leave, so he'd just have to keep going. After a moment he had his brother's pants open and pulled out his cock.

"You liked it when I sucked you the other day, didn't you? I could do that. Or would you rather fuck me? Watch me open myself up for you and just slide in? You've always loved watching me. Just give me some blood – mmh, I could lick it off your body."

xxooxxooxx

Sighing loudly Damon took a few deep breaths to clear his mind. This was starting to get out of hand. But in the back of his mind he kept seeing Stefan devastated, hunched-over and waiting for the sun, He would see this through.

"First I want to see you opening yourself up for me on your knees. Then I'm going take you from behind and when we're finished there will be some blood for you."

Damon put the bottle of bourbon to Stefan's lips. Alcohol would take care of a lot of the craving. His brother drank nearly half the bottle before he wrenched it away. Damons snatched the lube from a nearby table and tossed it to Stefan. Then he sat back to enjoy the show.

xxooxxooxx

Claiming another kiss, Stefan slid off his brother's lap and onto the bed. Taking care to display himself, he knelt facing away from Damon, shoulders resting on the mattress as he uncapped the lube and reached behind himself.

Stefan fucked himself with his own fingers, not bothering to muffle his moans. He could feel Damon's eyes on him, watching, and spread his legs wider to give him a better view. After a few more thrusts he stilled.

"What if I want the blood now?"

xxooxxooxx

Damon always loved to see the sensual and wicked side of Saint Stefan. His brother knew how to play this game well. Damon touched himself, pearls of cum already leaking from his hard cock in expectation.

"Uh uhm. You know how it goes, first the deed and then the payment."

Since he didn't want Stefan to stop their game, he moved behind him, gripping those slim hips and pulling them in.

"You're prepared enough. Don't touch yourself, that's only for me."

He pushed into Stefan's body with one swift move, burying himself up to the hilt. Even after all their encounters his brother was still tight. Damon pushed Stefan's shoulders firmly into the bed, dominating and fucking him.

xxooxxooxx

Stefan gave a low, keening moan as his brother filled him hard and fast. For a moment his body was stretched almost painfully tight, muscles protesting the rough treatment. Soon, though, he relaxed, letting Damon take him as he wanted.

Stefan bit his own lip, whining softly at the taste of his own blood. He wanted to come, but Damon's hands were still on his hips, holding him in place to fuck him. It was good but not nearly enough – he needed touch and slowly, stealthily, he started to move his own hand towards his weeping erection, hoping that his brother wouldn't notice.

xxooxxooxx

Steadily Damon built up the speed, knowing how much his brother loved to be taken hard. But then he saw Stefan's hand closing on his own erection. He smirked and pulled out completely.

"Really, Stefan, if you don't have any patience, I will have to teach you."

He heard the frustrated moans his brother made at the loss and saw the offending hand dropping down.

"That's right. That's how you should behave."

He thrust in again, hard and fast, and after a while he touched his brother's cock. It didn't take long for Damon to lose control and he had to hold back a scream as he came.

xxooxxooxx

When Damon suddenly stopped, Stefan couldn't suppress a small cry of frustration. Feeling empty and more than a little desperate, he obeyed. Although Damon immediately pushed back inside, he left Stefan untouched until he was all but sobbing with every thrust. In the end he came the second those clever fingers closed around his cock.

Once Damon pulled out, Stefan rolled over and collapsed into a debauched sprawl. He looked up at his brother from hooded eyes, dragging his fingers through the mess on the sheet.

"I am hungry."

xxooxxooxx

How Stefan could be both the saint and the whore in one person really astounded Damon. In spite of the great sex he wanted his brooding brother back and so he regretfully pushed the bottle of bourbon in Stefan's hand.

"Drink this for now, I'll go and get you some blood."

He got up and retrieved another bottle of piggy blood, heating it in the microwave. He hoped that it tasted better warm. Cleaning himself up, he thought about how to deal with his brother. It wasn't going to be easy.

Sighing he went upstairs again to Stefan's bedroom. His brother had finished the bourbon and Damon hoped that he would fall asleep soon.

"Here's your blood, Stef."

xxooxxooxx

Stefan used the time to get cleaned up a bit. His head was spinning from all the alcohol and in spite of his rapid healing, walking hurt a little bit. For some reason he was feeling faintly sick.

Then, finally, Damon returned. Stefan eagerly took the bottle of blood from him, only to pull a face as he sniffed its contents.

"That's pig again. I don't want this."

As though pulled in by an invisible rope, Stefan stepped closer, nostrils flaring as he sniffed his brother's scent.

"You have been feeding, haven't you?"

Surely Damon wouldn't deny him this. He simply couldn't.

xxooxxooxx

When Damon came back he found a very weak and drunk Stefan. But not weak or drunk enough to accept the animal blood without complaint. And not just that, he advanced on Damon like he was prey.

Swearing silently, Damon realized that in his starved state Stefan could smell the human blood in his own veins. He opened the bottle and took a gulp. It was no comparison to human blood, but he had to admit that it felt like nourishment. One could survive with just that; Stefan certainly had.

"You see, it's not that bad, brother. I can drink it and so can you." Smiling he hugged his brother, trying to force the bottle at him. "Just drink it and tomorrow will be better, I promise."

xxooxxooxx

Struggling to clear his mind, Stefan pressed his eyes shut. He stumbled a bit as Damon pressed the bottle of blood to his lips. After a moment he turned his head away and licked his lips.

"I'm not a child – I won't be fed this way."

The sick feeling in his stomach was intensifying, confusion taking over.

"Damon? What am I doing? I don't know what I'm doing..."

Stefan let himself be pushed towards the bed, sitting down heavily as his calves hit the frame.

xxooxxooxx

Sitting beside his brother Damon put the bottle down. He watched his brother carefully, hoping to see a sign of the rational Stefan.

"This time I've got your back, brother. Don't worry, this feeling will be over soon," he said quietly. "Do you remember how you asked me for help and I promised?

"You should drink this, Stefan. If you can keep it together for a few days, everything will be back to normal."

xxooxxooxx

Not knowing what to think, Stefan accepted the bottle and drank. Afterwards he curled up on the bed and closed his eyes. He needed the oblivion of sleep and maybe Damon was right and he'd actually be better upon waking. Stefan's fingers closed around his brother's wrist.

"You won't leave?"

Not quite sure why this seemed so important, Stefan was nonetheless relieved when Damon lay down beside him. He felt a bit calmer now, not quite as out of control.

xxooxxooxx

Damon sighed with relief; finally his brother was drinking the blood. At Stefan's doubtful words, he settled down beside him and pulled him close.

"Shh. Go to sleep, little brother. I'm not leaving you, promise."

Everything had changed so much. Stefan needed him and Damon would give him everything he wanted. He hugged his brother, feeling quite exhausted himself. Once Stefan's breaths evened out, he, too, closed his eyes.

xxooxxooxx

When Stefan woke up, he thought that he'd die of embarrassment. Then he looked at Damon with something like awe, noting the way the other vampire was still holding on to him. Even now it was hard to believe that the past few days had actually happened.

Even in his sleep his brother seemed to be aware of him, because after a few moments his eyes opened. Stefan froze, trying to think of something to say.

"I – I am really sorry. The way I acted – I was way out of line. And thank you. Did I mention that I'm sorry?"

xxooxxooxx

Feeling the movement in their bed Damon woke up. His brother seemed more rational than he had been in the last few days. Damon thought that his embarrassment was adorable. Smiling slightly, he brought his hand to Stefan's face, caressing him.

"There's nothing to be sorry about, Stefan. It was to be expected. And I liked your behavior very much." Damon leered at the end, reliving their encounter.

"It was great fun, but I'm glad that you're back to your normal brooding self."

xxooxxooxx

Stefan rolled his eyes. Still, he found himself grinning.

"Well, thank you, I guess. You just love it when I act like a giant slut, don't you?"

He leaned over and stole a quick kiss, tongue grazing Damon's lower lip. It had been a long time since he had felt this relaxed around his brother.

"We'll just see if we can play some time. I don't always brood. I mean, we could have an official two hour period of non-brooding a day."

xxooxxooxx

Damon wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh, I really like your ideas, brother."

He leaned into that kiss, enjoying the calm atmosphere. He tried to remember when it had been like this before and regretfully drew the conclusion that it had been in their human days, before Katherine. It had taken nearly one and a half century to get his brother back.

Since he could finally let his guard down and relax, he felt exhausted. The past few days had been hard. Damon curled around his brother, hugging him close.

"And don't you dare trying to pull off something stupid like going out in the sun without me, okay?"

xxooxxooxx

Settling into Damon's embrace Stefan found that he was smiling. The hunger was finally manageable again.

"I won't – I'm better now. You don't have to worry about me that much anymore."

He took a moment to study his brother's face, trying to figure out what Damon was thinking. It was almost too good to be true.

"Is this what it is going to be like from now? Because I'd like that – a lot. I've missed you, Damon."

And he had. At that moment, Stefan wished more than anything that it was possible for both of them to blot out the last 150 years.

xxooxxooxx

Damon saw the still unbelieving looks his brother gave him. Sometimes he was quite astonished at his own behavior as well. But he was glad everything had worked out so far.

"I'm glad that you've regained control, Stef. I'd rather not drink your choice of blood just for you to stay reasonable."

He drew Stefan even nearer, hugging him with a force that would have seriously injured a human being.

"I really want things to stay like this. No more misunderstandings. I'm going to respect your choices as long as we can be together like you promised."

There was just one difficulty, even though Damon was loathe to voice his concern at this point. But he couldn't be at ease as long as it wasn't settled.

"What about Elena though?"

xxooxxooxx

"We're together now, aren't we?"

Stefan briefly buried his face in his brother's throat as the other vampire hugged him even tighter. At Damon's question, he sighed.

"I've been thinking about that. You said that you didn't mind if she stayed my girlfriend and as you probably guessed I am not going to turn her. I was going to stay with her for a few years and then talk to her – you know, about whether she wanted a normal life or be together until the end. Part of me still wants that. Only as things are now, I am not sure that'd be fair to her – or to us."

It was a difficult decision, one he had never believed he would have to make.

xxooxxooxx

Damon stilled for a moment, thinking back. Yes, he had said that he didn't mind his brother still being together with the little human.

"I stand to what I said. Let's just see what's going to happen in a few years. We have all the time in the world, right?"

At least the girl was good company and Damon wouldn't be bothered too much to see her around, even if her resemblance to Katherine spooked him a little. But being more of a realist than his romantic brother, he knew that Elena eventually would want to be turned or to have a human family on her own.

xxooxxooxx

Briefly closing his eyes, Stefan tried to think. There wasn't a good solution, no easy way out.

"But you wouldn't like it. You couldn't help being jealous and maybe I'd end up ruining everything between us all over again. I know I'd feel that way."

"What do you want me to do, Damon? I just don't know. We can't leave her alone, not with the tomb vampires at large. They'd hurt her, you know they would."

At least he could be sure that Damon didn't like the tomb vampires any better than he did.

xxooxxooxx

Damon thought about that. He was quite possessive, but Stefan needed someone to protect, to take care of. So for now it would be best to just sit it out, as far as he was concerned. At least Stefan wouldn't deny him and Damon didn't want to advertise their relationship anyway.

"No, don't worry. For now at least I'll rein in my jealous streak. And you're right, we have to deal with the tomb vampires. There are also a few other things to be concerned about, such as Elena's dear Uncle Jon who won't stay dead."

He didn't want to get up yet.

"But let's just stay in bed today, all right? I'm feeling sleepy and lazy and you, dear brother, need to get used to the animal blood."

xxooxxooxx

Again Stefan couldn't help but grin.

"A whole day in bed? You're such a hedonist. I'm gonna feel like I'm a naughty kid again, hiding from our nurse."

It was getting easier to say whatever came to his mind without constantly worrying about what kind of ammunition he was handing his brother. Damon still hadn't let go of him.

Stefan pressed soft kisses to the few inches of skin he could reach.

"So what exactly are you suggesting we do ... all day ... in bed ...?"

xxooxxooxx

Damon lay down and let his brother do as he pleased. It was nice to be on the receiving end of this kind of attention. He gave a low growl, almost like a purr.

"You seem to have got the idea already, brother."

He traced the tight muscles of Stefan's back, hands traveling south to cup his sculpted ass. Knowing what he wanted, he wondered whether he'd sound too needy. But Stefan seemed to be more open now, so why shouldn't Damon open up as well? In the last days Damon had already deviated so much from the tough vampire he had been playing for nearly his entire existence.

"Make love to me, Stef."

xxooxxooxx

Stefan squirmed until his brother's grip loosened a bit, then shifted to line up their hips. The friction was sweet and for a minute or two he moved against Damon, nose buried in the soft hair beneath the other vampire's ear.

He wanted Damon, he always did, but after the debauchery of the past weeks, the urgency wasn't quite as strong.

Taking his time, Stefan slowly trailed kisses down Damon's neck and collarbone, pausing briefly to suck those tempting nipples before moving down to scatter quick, bloodless bites over his abs and stomach.

xxooxxooxx

This was so different from their last few encounters, it was sweet and slow and Damon loved it. He relaxed, giving himself over to Stefan's kisses and touches. Sighs turned into moans whenever his brother licked over a particularly sensitive spot. Stefan knew exactly how to touch him.

"Ah, little brother, please suck me. Need to feel that pretty mouth," Damon demanded.

Through heavy-lidded eyes he watched the lovely face of his brother, silently thanking whatever God might exist that he had Stefan here with him. Nothing would ever come between them again, no matter what compromises Damon would have to make.

xxooxxooxx

Stefan didn't hesitate. He swallowed Damon's dick to the root. Hands clamping down on his brother's hips, he savored the moans his actions elicited. Stefan had always been good at this. He pulled back to tongue at the head, wanting more of that taste. He looked up and smiled.

"Is that good? Is that what you had in mind?"

Leaning down to nuzzle Damon's balls, he waited for an answer. He felt the small tremors that shook those strong muscles, loving the fact that he got to do this to his brother, that they weren't hiding from each other any longer.

xxooxxooxx

Damon smirked. His brother was really great at this as had been proved time and again. But he wanted something different now, something they did only rarely.

"It's what I always have in mind, but this time I want to feel you inside me."

He pushed his legs further apart to grant Stefan easier access.

"Take me!"

xxooxxooxx

"God, yes."

Groping blindly for the lube, Stefan circled his brother's hole with one finger. If there was one good thing about being vampires, it was that he didn't have to worry about hurting Damon. However, since he liked this kind of slow preparation, he took his time.

Occasionally pausing to lap at Damon's erection, Stefan slid in first one finger, then two, scissoring them to stretch that snug hole. His own cock was achingly hard, but he ignored it for the moment, concentrating on his brother's pleasure.

xxooxxooxx

Stefan was really a considerate lover who took care to pleasure his partner above anything else. Damon loved that fact about him, but now he wished that his brother would just hurry up.

"That's enough teasing, Stef, I'm ready."

He sat up to grasp his brother's neglected erection, stroking the smooth hardness. Lying down again he positioned his legs on Stefan's shoulder, aligning his ass with that weeping cock.

"Do it."

xxooxxooxx

Damon's impatience made him smile. It was so like his brother to simply take charge and tell Stefan what to do. In this particular case, however, he didn't mind at all. Stefan pushed in slowly, though. A moment later he pulled back out all the way, only to thrust forward once more. It was incredible to feel Damon that way, to feel that strong, hard body yield.

"So beautiful, Damon, so good. Always, always wanted you. Always will..."

xxooxxooxx

Damon tried to let Stefan have control, but his own need was growing too strong. His hands roamed over Stefan's back, caressing and scratching over hard muscles and soft skin. Unfortunately he couldn't let Stefan bite him just yet. The look on Stefan's face made his heart flutter, concentration and abandonment thrown together.

"You're just as beautiful, Stef. And I'll never leave you again. Never," he moaned.

Nearly whining he pushed his hips upwards, trying to urge Stefan on.

xxooxxooxx

Damon was obviously trying to speed things up and Stefan was all too happy to comply. Stefan sped up his thrusts, setting a steady rhythm. He love the feeling of those strong fingers digging into his shoulders, urging him on. Reaching down, he started to stroke his brother's erection, knowing that the other vampire had to be close.

Stefan leaned down for a kiss, needing to be as close as possible, connected in every way. Nipping at soft lips, he opened his mouth to his brother's tongue.

xxooxxooxx

The sweetness and heady pleasure of it all made Damon moan in Stefan's mouth. He played with his tongue, devouring those swollen lips. Damon threw his arms over his brother's shoulders, pulling him flush against his chest, rubbing his trapped erection against that flat stomach.  
It was just a matter of seconds now and Damon clenched his ass, wanting to come at the same time as Stefan. Groaning, he was pushed over the edge even as he felt his brother shudder above him. Both vampires cried out their pleasure.

"Love you, little brother, so much!" Damon whispered huskily, still in the throes of a mind-blowing orgasm.

xxooxxooxx

Damon seemed to tighten impossibly around him, like he was trying to draw the orgasm from his body. Stefan groaned harshly as he buried himself in his brother one last time and spilled his seed deep in that waiting heat.

Pulling out carefully, Stefan took a deep breath. He felt like he was about to jump off a cliff. Pressing a brief kiss to his brother's mouth, he pulled away until they could look at each other.

"You're my brother, Damon. I love you. You know that, right? You're mine and I'm yours – that's the way it is."

xxooxxooxx

"You're right, that's how it always will be," Damon answered. He pulled Stefan down and hugged him close, breathing in the comforting scent.

Even if there were a lot of problems to be dealt with, Damon felt on top of the world here with his brother in his arms, trusting him, loving him.

He would look after him from now on, and when they had to leave Mystic Falls because of their unchanging appearance, they would do so together. 

**THE END**

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It's very nice of all the people who got this as favorite and on alert. But there are more of them than reviews. I really would like to know what you think, so please leave me a review... THANKS!

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